In modern high-speed/high-quality electrophotographic machines, such as copiers and printers, a latent image charge pattern is formed on a dielectric member, such as an endless-loop belt. Pigmented toner particles are drawn by electrostatic attraction onto the latent image charge pattern to develop the image carried on the dielectric member. A receiver sheet or image substrate, such as, for example, a piece of paper, is then brought into contact with the image on the support member. An electric field is applied to transfer the image from the support member to the image substrate. Thereafter, the image substrate carrying the transferred image is separated from the dielectric support member and the image is fixed to the substrate, such as, for example, by fusing.
One way in which the electric field is applied to effect transfer of the image from the support member to the image substrate is the use of a roller-type transfer station or sub-system wherein a transfer roller is in engagement with the dielectric member. The transfer roller is electrostatically biased and causes the transfer of the charged toner particles from the surface of the dielectric member to the image substrate as the image substrate passes between the transfer roller and the dielectric member. During operation, however, residual toner and other particulate material, such as paper dust, is sometimes picked up by and/or attracted to the biased transfer roller. These particles can be transferred onto the back surface of the next image substrate and create undesirable marks thereon. Therefore, the transfer roller is continuously and automatically cleaned by a cleaning mechanism.
The cleaning mechanism is typically an elongate cylindrical fiber cleaning brush, and is electrically non-conductive. The cleaning brush and transfer roller are generally in relatively close proximity with parallel central axes. The fiber cleaning brush engages the surface of the transfer roller with a force that is calculated to achieve relatively efficient cleaning of the transfer roller surface. A motor drives the cleaning brush to rotate in the area of contact between the cleaning brush and the transfer roller in a direction opposite to the direction in which the transfer roller is rotated, and thereby increases the effectiveness with which the cleaning brush removes particles from the surface of the transfer roller.
Despite the above-described measures to improve the effectiveness with which the cleaning brush removes or cleans the transfer roller, a typical cleaning brush is relatively inefficient and requires multiple passes in order to clean even a moderately contaminated roller. A conventional cleaning brush may typically have a maximum cleaning efficiency of less than approximately ten percent.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a transfer roller cleaning brush having an improved cleaning efficiency.